ESEN
Which one to use?Beginnerverbverb
ArrivevsReach
'Arrive' is intransitive and needs a preposition before the place; 'reach' and 'get to' go directly before the destination.
Side-by-side comparison
Arrive
verb"Arrive" always needs a preposition before the place: "in" for cities and countries, "at" for specific places. Never say "arrive London" directly.
We arrived at the hotel after a long flight and went straight to bed.
She arrived late to the meeting and apologized to everyone in the room.
The package arrived earlier than expected, which was a nice surprise.
Reach
verb"Reach" and "get to" go directly before the place, without a preposition. "Reach" sounds more formal; "get to" is more natural in conversation.
It took us three hours to reach the top of the mountain, but it was worth it.
The ambulance reached the scene in under five minutes.
How long does it take to get to the airport from here by taxi?
Common mistake
- •The most frequent mistake: "arrive to".
- •The preposition depends on the destination: "arrive in" for cities and countries, "arrive at" for specific places, never "arrive to".
- •"Reach" is direct with no preposition: "We reached the top", not "reached to the top".
Trick to remember it
"Arrive in" = large area (city, country). "Arrive at" = exact point (airport, office). Never "arrive to". "Reach" and "get to" are direct without a preposition (and "get home/here/there" without "to").
Quick rule
"Arrive in" city/country. "Arrive at" specific place. Never "arrive to". "Reach" + place (no preposition). "Get home/here/there" (no "to" before adverbs).
Did you know?
The "arrive to" error is so common among Spanish speakers that L2 acquisition linguists have studied it specifically. It occurs through transfer from Spanish "llegar a" for all destinations. In English, the in/at distinction reflects a conceptual difference: "in" for a container (city, country), "at" for a specific point. French and German make the same distinction. Spanish neutralizes it with "a" for everything.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
What time did you _____ the airport? Was the taxi on time?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She arrived _____ Paris on a rainy Tuesday morning.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
BringvsTake
One moves something toward you, the other moves it away from you.
GovsCome
'Go' implies movement away from the speaker; 'come' implies movement toward the speaker or listener.
InvsOn / At
'In' goes with broad periods; 'on' goes with specific days and dates; 'at' goes with exact moments.
AvsAn
'A' is used before consonant sounds; 'an' is used before vowel sounds.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy